Alabama

Man who died following Mobile police tasing did not die of trauma, says city attorney

MOBILE, Ala. -- Although the cause of his death is yet to be determined, Daniel Mingo did not die of traumatic injuries to his head, neck or chest, Mobile City Attorney Larry Wettermark said Thursday.

Mingo, 25, died Jan. 28, exactly one week after collapsing, following his arrest by Mobile police.

According to a lawsuit filed against the city of Mobile and the Mobile Police Department -- and this week transferred from state to federal court -- Mingo suffered a broken nose, blunt force trauma to his head and neck and sustained several cardiac arrests.

Wettermark said arresting officers called emergency medical personnel to the scene only after Mingo -- as he sat in the back of a patrol car -- began "screaming and growling like a dog" and collapsed.

They were worried about his mental state, the attorney said.

Wettermark said Thursday that police officials present during Mingo's autopsy were assured verbally by pathologists that only superficial injuries to his wrist and ankles were found.

Due to the litigation, both Police Chief Lester Hargrove and Deputy Chief James Barber declined comment on the case and deferred to Wettermark.

Police beat Mingo during the incident and shocked him with a Taser, the lawsuit claims, and ultimately those injuries caused him to become "brain dead," Mingo family attorney Chase Dearman has said.

Mingo died after being taken off life support.

Police said Mingo was driving erratically along Halls Mill Road in south-central Mobile on the morning of Jan. 21 and was stopped by a patrol officer. Mingo briefly escaped, shedding his clothes as he ran, police said, but he was later found hiding in a shed.

When he resisted arrest, he was shocked once with the Taser, according to police.

The lawsuit claims Mingo was beaten, stripped of his clothing and shocked multiple times, then dragged through gravel and glass.

Wettermark would not release the names of the officers involved.

He said the department was awaiting a toxicology report to help determine the exact cause of death.

Wettermark said police recovered 44 pills after observing Mingo throwing them away and ingesting some of them as he ran off.

"He had an extensive history of using cocaine, amphetamines, marijuana and resisting arrest," Wettermark said. "Maybe the toxicology report will shed some light on what it was he was ingesting."

According to police reports, warrants were issued against Mingo that included driving under the influence, possession of Ecstasy, failure to obeya police officer, resisting arrest and third-degree trespassing.